W GOLD CUP
It’s time to welcome the new USWNT generation to defend their CONCACAF crown
The USWNT is going through a generational change that presents a challenge ahead of the W Gold Cup and the Olympic Games.
There is no doubt about the indomitable status of the US Women’s National Team. Four World Cups wins, nine CONCACAF Women’s Championship titles and their five victories in the CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Championships position them as the clear favourites to lift the first Gold Cup in the history of women’s football. On top of all of their prestige, the USWNT have another huge factor in their favour: the tournament is on home soil.
They play against the Dominican Republic on Tuesday February 20 with kick off at 10:15 p.m. ET / 7:15 p.m. PT.
The pressure for the locals has grown after the failure in the Australia-New Zealand 2023 World Cup where they only reached the round of 16, even with their top players such as Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe on the field; the resignation of Vlatko Andonovski who only achieved bronze in Tokyo 2020 during his stay on the USWNT bench came shortly after.
Young players are replacing the older generation
The changes facing the USWNT roster are significant. For this W Gold Cup that will mark history on the American continent, interim head coach Twila Kilgore has left out Alex Morgan, the undisputed leader of the squad after Rapinoe’s retirement, indicating a new opportunity for the young blood in the North American squad.
Despite the absence of Morgan, the team’s experience will come from Alyssa Naeher, Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle who will all be in charge of overseeing the progress of both Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith, players who shone during the World Cup and look to be the next leaders of the team.
W Gold Cup:
There is another obstacle that adds to the problems of the United States comes from the bench. Despite having announced Emma Hayes as their new coach, they will not be able to count on her services her until May, which not only represents complications for this competition but also for her preparation for the Olympic Games, where she will have very little time to work with the team before their debut.
The hosts are favourites in a tasty group where they will face Mexico; they have the chance to take advantage of this opportunity and further cement their status after winning Pan American Gold in Santiago 2023; Dominican Republic, who secured their place in the qualifying phase after beating Guyana in the preliminaries and Argentina, one of the 4 teams invited to the competition and third place in the 2022 Copa América Femenina.